The analogy said it all

Last Sunday, I invited a very successful, rich but embattled older man to attend church and reconnect with his “Christian” roots. I was very honored that he agreed to attend and even came with his wife.

In order to meet up with them, I had to drive three hours from Lobo, Batangas and be at Victory Christian Fellowship-Estancia just a little before the 4 p.m. service. As usual, “the enemy” threw a monkey wrench into my plans. We received a call that my sister, who was visiting from New Zealand, had to be taken to the emergency room.

It was unfortunate and inconvenient but came as no surprise. Lesson 1: When any of us attempt to minister to others, especially those seeking the Lord or trying to reconnect with church, the devil will surely complicate matters and obstruct your plans. The choice was going to my sister or go to church?

God makes a way and, in this case, my wife Karen became designated caregiver while I rolled out the welcome mat for my friend and his wife. The second constant I have observed among people who “visit or return to church” is that the preaching is almost always on point or a bullseye.

In the case of my “rich but not so young” friend, the preaching for the service was the story of “The Rich Young Ruler” who was deeply religious and wanted to know what else he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Half of me shook my head in disbelief, the other half silently chuckled.

Most of us, if not all of us, have heard the story of the Rich Young Ruler in the Bible and like the subject, we go away finding it difficult to even think of selling all or give away everything to the poor, much less going into ministry. The rest of us don’t see ourselves as rich or in the ruling class. Either way, “It ain’t easy.”

The “youngish pastor” Dennis Sy, who used to live the “Tsinoy Rich Life,” started out by sharing that in Jewish culture then, being rich was associated with being blessed by God and therefore aligned with God’s will.

The challenge for many people, or what creates confusion, is their unfamiliarity with how Jesus/God talks and operates. Beginning with Abraham down to the Rich Young Ruler, God challenges us in order to see how we react, and to know where our heart is.

The Rich Young Ruler operated from religiosity and not familiarity. Jesus was addressing the young guy directly and “rulers” or bosses just like him who have put in so much to acquiring wealth they have become “slaves” to wealth or “captives” of the lifestyle. The lesson is not generic or applies to all.

While he acknowledged Jesus Christ as “teacher,” it is safe to say that he had no personal or working relationship with Jesus. He did not ask Jesus to elaborate, he did not ask “Teacher, why and how?” – he simply walked away grieving, thinking of all is possessions.

To drive the point home, Pastor Dennis used a standard size carry on suitcase with wheels like many of us use. From there, he recreated a familiar scene at many local airports and budget airline check-in counters.

As he “enters,” St. Peter stops him and says, sorry your baggage is oversized and won’t fit the metal cage that measures correct size and weight. He insists that it’s not heavy, it has all his valuable possessions and he needs to bring it through.

I really thought Pastor Dennis was going to do what many Filipinos do: spread everything on the floor, choose between light and heavy, bulky vs squishy and repack using an eco-bag.

But when he opened up the carry-on suitcase, he took out an even smaller carry-on suitcase and once again insisted on bringing his choice possessions in a smaller bag. The thing is, we all willingly give up what’s not important or does not affect us.

I loved the analogy because every Filipino can relate to it. We bring all the weighty or heavy stuff as hand carry. In spite of being told about restrictions, weight limits and enough time to prepare and follow, we stubbornly assume we can haggle or insist.

But the reality is most of the time, we pay a very stiff price for excess weight in our baggage, our bodies and our life. While many people envy the rich and famous, we are ignorant of their high cost for maintenance of homes, businesses, lifestyle, etc. Some are living with a zoo full of white elephants.

One important thing to consider in today’s topic is that the story of the Rich Young Ruler was about Jesus calling on the young man to seek eternal life and not just the material life. Jesus actually invited him to be part of his team. Jesus stayed, the young man walked away.

It was a timely “check-up” similar to annual physicals. The young man thought he was on the right direction: “been there, done that” but discovered he had the wrong conclusion, much like someone climbing 20 stories to discover he climbed the wrong building.

For many of us, it is not even the great possessions nor is it about the money that God wants to deal with. It is about our will versus letting God’s will be done. The one who has the most toys does not have the most fun, he has the bigger mess.

*      *      *

Email: utalk2ctalk@gmail.com